Tyler Flowers Out Six Weeks With Broken Hand

Braves catcher Tyler Flowers has been diagnosed with a fractured left hand, Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports first reported. While Heyman lists his projected absence at four to six weeks, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman lists a more pessimistic timeline (via Twitter), suggesting that Flowers will miss “at least” six weeks but may not be able to return until September. Over the weekend, Flowers aggravated a previous injury that was sustained when he was hit by a pitch from A.J. Ramos. Bowman wrote yesterday that Flowers underwent an MRI, though the team has yet to announce the results.

According to Bowman, the Braves are likely to promote veteran backstop Anthony Recker to fill Flowers’ spot on the roster (Twitter link). The MLB.com scribe wrote yesterday that Recker has been on the temporarily inactive list with a non-health issue, but it would seem that is behind him now. Recker, who is no stranger to the NL East due to his time with the division-rival Mets, is hitting .244/.348/.421 in 230 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for the Braves and Indians this season. Fellow veteran Blake Lalli would be the likeliest alternative to Recker, though he’s having a considerably less productive season. Whoever gets the call will pair behind the plate with A.J. Pierzynski, who has been unable to replicate last season’s above-average production, instead struggling to a .205/.227/.250 batting line in his age-39 campaign.

The loss of Flowers not only deprives the Braves of a player that has been far and away the most productive catcher on the big league roster but also all but eliminates the possibility of a Flowers trade prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline. While Flowers hasn’t been an oft-mentioned trade candidate, the Braves have been largely open for business over the past couple of years, and Flowers is enjoying a career-year at the plate while playing on a highly affordable two-year pact. As a short-term piece with a .253/.343/.425 batting line at a premium position on a rebuilding club, trade interest in Flowers certainly wouldn’t have been a stretch of the imagination.

Of course, the Braves may simply have preferred to hang onto him for the duration of the season anyhow. The team is aiming for a considerably better season in 2017, and there’s no immediate replacement for him waiting in the wings in the upper levels of the minor leagues. He’s earning $2MM this season and is owed $3MM in 2017 before his team must make a call on a $4MM club option for the 2018 season (which comes with a $300K buyout). He’s struggled quite a bit with stolen bases this season, catching just two of 37 attempted thieves, but he continues to grade out as one of the best pitch-framing backstops in the game, per Baseball Prospectus.

I too think the Braves would be all over that. Not sure how NYY would feel about it. I love Inciarte’s gamesmanship and his excellent defense and I do think he’s better at the plate than his current numbers show, but the Braves need a backstop too badly to pass up a deal like that.

Wilson Ramos and Matt Wieters will both be free agents at the end of the year – and both are All-Stars. Wieters has ties to ATL (via Tech). ATL will have the $$$ available to sign them at market price, if that’s where they want to devote some of the funds. That would be an easy way to get offense and provide vet leadership, with Flowers as the backup.

Another option if they don’t feel like they have their future C is using their high pick presumably next year possibly on UF C JJ Schwarz or another (there’s someone else just as good that I can’t think of right now).

Could Vizzy pull Suarez and Susac from the Giants ???? Give Susac the reigns until Flowers comes back and see if he could be the catcher of the future. Suarez adds another arm with potential to the pitching staff.

Braves need to trade with Brewers for Lucroy and Braun, then package Lucroy with Teheran and Markakis to the Rangers for Gallo, Profar, Brinson, Tate and Mendez. This fixes three needs for the Rangers who would lose only a backup from their active roster. Braves would send prospects Max Fried, Rio Ruiz, Touki Toussaint and Ender Inciarte to the Brewers for Lucroy and Braun.

Why would the Rangers want Markakis in that deal ??? I am sorry although I like the idea of getting LuCroy and flipping him to the Rangers I don’t see how us going for Braun makes sense. And also in one deal trading all those prospects to get Lucroy & Braun and then turning around and getting more prospects ?? I don’t see it realistically possible. But it has opened my eyes to possible 3 way trades between the clubs. Also with a haul like that and including Markakis why would the Rangers not just make that same deal with the Brewers themselves.

This is ridiculous. Deals like this would fall apart before it ever starts and MIL would not package 2 of the top-3 trade targets in all of MLB going into the trade deadline. They’d get much more apart than packaging them together.

I could see the Braves look to reaquire McCann in the offseason. Maybe a package with Headley could work. Something along the lines of Lucas Sims, Jace Peterson & Cervenka for McCann & Headley plus a little money to help with the salaries.

You do know that NYY is kicking themselves for McCann’s contract, right? It’s another dead contract that they don’t mind because they’ll soon be done with A-Rod, Teixeira and CC Sabathia. McCann’s offense has tapered back and even with the short RF porch they sit him against LHP. In the NL he’d be even worse because of no DH spot. He’s, at best, a backup and we already have the best pitch-framer in MLB (Flowers) helping the staff. We don’t need to reunite with McCann we can reunite him back with his knees.

What LH do the Yankees sit Mccann for ? He sits in his rotation for days off. McCann needs to get out of Yankee stadium where he won’t try to pull everything. Not every lefty batter is built for Yankee stadium. if the yanks are kickin themselves maybe they eat a chunk of that contract. Him and Flowers together wouldn’t be the worst catching tandem in the league. He is not having a horrible season he just isn’t having a great season like his contract warrants. But no Yankee bats are.